REDLANDS â" Cycling teams are lining up in hopes of chasing down last yearâs Redlands Bicycle Classic champions, Francisco Mancebo and Alison Powers, at the 30th annual event.

An extra day of racing has been added, starting today with a return to Highland, site of a circuit race (women, 8:45 a.m,; men, 11 a.m.). Itâs five days of racing covering Highland, a time trial in Big Bear on Thursday, a road race in Beaumont on Friday, climaxed by Saturdayâs criterium and a Sunday Road Race in the host city.

One other thing is present â" a title sponsor. San Manuel Band of Mission Indians had helped lift the Classic from a four-day event to five days.

Mancebo, the 2011 and 2013 champion (third in 2012, seven seconds behind), returns with a strong assortment of racers from Team 5-Hour Energy.

There will be some interesting teams chasing him, namely Jelly Belly, led by U.S. Road Racing champion Freddie Rodriguez and fortified by the presence of Serghei Tvetkov, who won multiple times last season.

Chad Haga, who had the yellow jersey for a portion of last yearâs Classic, was third behind Mancebo (814 points) and Joey Rosskopf (556) in the National Racing Calendar points standings in 2013. Rosskopf shows up on a Hincapie Sportswear Cycling team with plenty of strength, including Ty Magner, who had strong finishes throughout 2013.

No one should overlook Ben Day, the 2010 Redlands champion (six seconds from yellow in 2009) who raced abroad in 2011-2012, who returns with United Healthcare.

Much like motor racing, where a points system unveils an eventual national champion, the 2013 season played out with 2013 Redlands champions Mancebo and Powers each winning the NRC title based on a points system.

Powers, defending Redlands champion who is now racing for United Healthcare, was third in 2009, second to Amber Neben in 2012 before winning the yellow jersey in last yearâs first-ever Big Bear Time Trial and never relinquished the lead â" winning the Beaumont Road Race and the Redlands Criterium.

Sheâs backed by Abbott, last yearâs Sunset Road Race champion while racing in a different uniform. The two are racing united in 2014.

The United Healthcare team looks to be challenged by riders from Twenty 16, TIBCO, Specialized-lululemon, plus Optum.

In last Julyâs National Criterium championship, Powers outdueled TIBCOâs Amanda Miller and Theresa Cliff-Ryan to win.

On the menâs side, Optumâs Eric Young outpedaled teammate Kenneth Hanson to win the national uniform.

And watch out for Hincapie Sportswear RT. In last seasonâs Cascade Classic, a five-stage duel in the mountains of Bend, Ore. Tvetkov beat Rosskopf of Hincapie by six seconds with Haga another two seconds behind.

Curiously, the fifth place finisher, just 16 seconds out of the yellow jersey, was Mancebo.

On the womenâs side, Exergy Twenty 16âs Kristin McGrath took over early to win by over two minutes â" Abbott and then-rival Powers running 3-4 overall.

By weekendâs conclusion, it all depends on whoâs strongest â" and in best condition at the early stages of the season.

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